Epic of Aravinda 1: The Truth Beyond the Sky

by Andrew M. Crusoe

  “Incredible.”

  Their conversation was interrupted by a low pulsing sound ahead of them. When they looked up, they saw a floating sphere hanging in the air above the ship. It was dark blue, metallic, and tiny points of light were evenly spaced around its surface. From one point of light, a beam shot out of the sphere and moved up and down, soon touching every surface of Navika.

  “Whatever that object is, it is scanning us. No doubt they have discovered Navika was heavily damaged in the ambush. Keep in mind Zahn, even though we were saved, that does not mean their intentions are pure. Come. Let us find out who we are dealing with.”

  “Or what we’re dealing with,” Zahn added.

  “Precisely.”

  As they exited Navika, Zahn put the silvery jacket back on and grabbed his backpack. He had a feeling he would need it.

  Once they were outside, they had a chance to examine the room in greater detail. Foremost, the room was dark. It was more like a cave than a room, and there was only a dim light high above. From what Zahn could see, the room was circular and appeared to have been carved out of the moon rock itself. The floor was made up of a matrix of stones in varying shades of grey that fit together immaculately, and the stone pattern continued down the hall, fading into the darkness.

  When Zahn finally pulled his eyes away from the room they were in, he was struck by how Navika looked. Since the cloaking field had been activated until it was damaged in the battle, this was the first time he actually got to see the ship from the outside, and the damage from the ambush was glaringly obvious.

  Black marks were spattered onto all of its surfaces, but he could still see that the ship was made of a shimmering white material. When he examined the ship up close, he almost thought he could see little flecks of the rainbow buried within the ivory crystal, but the black marks covering most of the ship made it difficult for him to be sure.

  Oonak walked up behind him.

  “It is truly a shame that such a magnificent vessel has been marred by such a swarm.”

  “Well, at least we survived,” Zahn said. “I can even see parts of the ivory crystal between the burn marks. What is this ship made out of anyway?”

  “It wasn’t made. It was grown.”

  “You mean it was a crystal that grew?”

  “Yes, in a vast harvesting field. But let’s focus on the present. It appears our little friend has moved.”

  He’d almost forgotten about the strange sphere that had been scanning them. It was about two meters above them, scanning their ship from another angle now. Oonak looked up and called out to it.

  “I am Oonak of the Confederation of Unity, and this is Zahn. Please identify yourself.”

  The sphere made a low, gravelly tone which gave Zahn the distinct impression that it was surprised or annoyed, yet it continued scanning.

  Oonak turned to Zahn. “It may not be intelligent enough to respond to our queries. I shall try again.”

  “My name is Oonak. If you cannot state your intentions, please summon your superior.”

  This time, all the points of light on its surface turned magenta, and it zipped away with a low hum, disappearing down the dark hall.

  “Hmm,” Zahn said. “Do you think we made it angry?”

  Oonak looked at Zahn with the slightest smile on his face, raised an eyebrow, and entered the dark hall.

  Zahn followed him. The darkness overtook them quicker than they anticipated, and to his surprise Oonak’s uniform glowed, sending out beams of light ahead of them. At seeing this, Zahn remembered the small flashlight in his backpack and shined it onto the immaculately carved walls around them.

  And then, he saw it. On the far end of the great hall, they could just make out the shadow of a figure walking toward them. As it grew closer, fear seized Zahn, and his thoughts raced.

  What if it’s going to torture us? What if this was all some kind of trap? What if it traps us here for a thousand years? What if it’s going to cook us, or worse, feed us to something while we’re still alive?

  Oonak stopped walking and raised his index finger.

  “Redirect your thoughts,” he said. “There is far more to this than appearances.”

  They both stood there, almost motionless, as the shadowy shape approached them. When the shadow finally stepped into Oonak’s light, it revealed itself to be a slim figure wearing a dark maroon spacesuit. The helmet even matched the suit, but its visor was so dark that they couldn’t discern any facial features.

  Still, it approached.

  When the figure was just a few meters away, it stopped walking, looked them up and down, and made a sound of quiet contemplation. Oonak was just about to introduce himself when the figure spoke. Its voice sounded completely artificial, completely emotionless.

  “State your identities and intentions. Why have you come here?” The figure spoke in cold, measured sentences.

  “I am Oonak of the Confederation of Unity; this is Zahn from Avani. We are on an urgent mission to deliver a message to the Confederation. When we reached this system, we were ambushed by marauders. Someone saved us and directed us to land here.”

  “We are well aware of the marauders. What is your message?”

  “Under Confederation code, I am not permitted to say. However, I can say that it is not related to events taking place within your world,” Oonak said.

  “Does your message pertain to the gate network you used to arrive here? The gates are ancient, and their creators have been missing for aeons. Few are left that dare use them. Why have you taken this risk?”

  “We have been forced to use the gates to deliver this message because of the damage to my ship. Without the gates, we would have been delayed indefinitely.” Oonak paused for a moment. “May I ask who you are? Where we are from, it is customary for introductions to be mutual. May we see you? Face to face.”

  The figure walked up to them. Although Zahn couldn’t see beyond the visor at all, it seemed to be looking at them directly in the eyes. Zahn also noticed that the figure was feeling for an object in one of its pockets.

  “I see no lies in your eyes.” The figure removed its hand from its pocket, pulling nothing out. Instead, it planted its hands on its hips. “I apologize if I seemed cold. We have many visitors, not all of whom have noble intentions for being here. However, my intuition tells me your story is true.”

  Slowly, the figure removed its helmet to reveal the face of a truly striking woman. Her olive skin complemented her dark brown hair which was arranged up into a bun, and her eyes were a warm brown. Zahn could even see flecks of green in them, but what caught him off guard was her face itself. It was the most perfect face he had ever seen. In short, she was stunning.

  “My name is Ashakirta.” Her true voice revealed itself to be warm and sweet to their ears. “But if that’s difficult to remember, you can call me Asha.”

  She first offered her hand to Oonak who shook it warmly, and then to Zahn who was still somewhat in awe of her presence, though he tried not to show it.

  “Pleased to meet you,” Zahn managed to say.

  Asha nodded her head slightly and replied, “And you, as well. Now, who is the pilot of the damaged starship?”

  “I am,” Oonak said.

  “Very well. Your ship has already been scanned, and we have confirmed its origin. However, it will take some time to fully assess the damages. In the meantime, I will lead you to my father. By the way, are either of you hungry?”

  In the excitement of all that had happened, Zahn had somehow completely forgotten about his stomach, but now that it was being included in the conversation, he realized he was quite hungry indeed.

  “Yes! Food would be fantastic,” Zahn said.

  “Then follow me.”

  And Asha led them down the dark hall.

  CHAPTER 15

  THE OUTPOST FOR WAYWARD TRAVELLERS

  After a few minutes, they arrived at a huge semicircular door at the end of the hall, and Asha pressed her thumb to a plat
e beside it. When the door rolled back a moment later, several details flooded Zahn’s senses at once.

  The sheer expanse of the room spread out before him was stunning. The cavern was so large that he was convinced that the entire Ashraya Observatory could have fit inside. As he stepped in, he noticed that a thousand oddly shaped objects were arranged neatly around circular platforms. Above him, the ceiling formed a dome which was illuminated by a brightly glowing orb embedded in the center. It reminded him a bit of Navika’s nucleus, but it was brighter and perhaps not as elegant.

  Then the smell hit him. The air was clean, but it was filled with a strange scent that was a blend of molten metal, wildflowers, and what almost seemed like a hint of freshly squeezed fruit juice. It was one of the oddest combinations of smells he had ever experienced.

  Compared to the sights and smells, the sound of the room was rather mild. Every few seconds, he heard a hissing noise. The low hums of nearby floating spheres were also audible, but overall it was much quieter than Zahn expected such an outpost to be.

  “Are you coming?”

  He looked to his left and saw Asha studying him with a puzzled look on her face. In this light, he noticed that her olive skin had a hint of a reddish hue within it, and her eyelids had a dusting of gold on them. Then, a wave of embarrassment washed over him. He’d completely lost track of time taking in the sight of the room and wasn’t sure exactly how long he had been standing there.

  “Oh! I’m sorry, this place is just—”

  “Empty? I know. My father has been concerned about that, too. Follow me. This workshop can be a hazardous place. My father has summoned us to the observation balcony.”

  “Balcony…” Zahn looked up and noticed a balcony high above them that wrapped around the entire chamber.

  Asha waved Zahn into a small elevator that was inlaid into the wall beside the huge door they had just come through. Oonak was already inside, and after taking a mental note of what the elevator controls looked like, Zahn stepped in.

  “Please don’t say anything about how empty this place is to my father. He’s been rather sensitive about the subject lately. My father may not like it, but we just don’t get the traffic we used to. Now that the marauders are getting more numerous… Anyway, don’t ask about his customers, all right?”

  “Okay,” Zahn said. “So how long have you lived here, Asha?”

  “Most of my life. We came here when I was very young.”

  The elevator made a chirping sound as the doors opened.

  “Here we are,” she said.

  Zahn stepped out and noticed how the balcony wrapped around the edge of the massive room, except at three places where there were gaps. There the quality of the wall changed, and he wondered if they might be massive doors.

  Asha led Oonak and Zahn over to a large oval table made of stone. The table was already set, but Zahn couldn’t see any eating utensils at all. All he could see were what he guessed were dinner plates arranged on the table.

  Zahn noticed Asha looking at a flashing device on her wrist.

  “Interesting. It appears your ship is resisting us moving it, but we need to bring it into the workshop to repair it.”

  “I will notify him.”

  Zahn watched as Oonak used his wristband to talk to Navika and update him on the situation.

  “While you wait for your ship to arrive, you may sit,” Asha said. “My father will be out shortly.”

  Just moments after they sat down, Asha disappeared behind a door, leaving them alone. From where he was sitting, Zahn saw how three narrow columns in the center of the room reached all the way up to the ceiling. Despite being colorless, Zahn thought he saw blue and green hues glisten on the edges of the columns, and he wondered if they were used for anything beyond supporting the dome above them.

  Asha appeared again, this time carrying a large bowl of dark green food. It was cut into cubes, and when she set the bowl down, the cubes vibrated like jelly.

  “Help yourself,” she said. “More to come.”

  Zahn’s stomach overpowered his hesitation, and when he grabbed a piece he was relieved to discover that it had a smooth texture and tasted slightly sweet. He also used that opportunity to take a picture of the cubic snacks, as well as some of the incredible architecture around him. He noticed that Asha looked interested in the photodisc, but before she could say anything, Oonak spoke.

  “Asha, are you and your father the only people who live here?”

  Asha’s expression darkened.

  “Yes,” she said. “It wasn’t always that way, though. There used to be more, back when it was safer, before the marauders came. Now we rely on the pods to help us. My dad started building them when less and less people would stay and work.”

  “You mean those floating spheres?” Zahn said. “We saw one when we first arrived. Oonak thought it was scanning us.”

  “It was,” Asha said.

  Zahn heard a quiet chirp, and Asha looked at her wrist again.

  “In fact,” she continued. “I just received a report back from one of the pods. Hmm. Is there anyone else in your group?”

  “No, just me and Oonak.”

  “Well, I’m detecting a life signature within your ship.” Asha frowned. “Sometimes I wonder why I even trust those pods. That pod must be malfunctioning. I’d better go and examine it. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Oonak said. “Navika contains a life pattern because the ship contains an individuated consciousness within its core. You are seeing a life pattern because Navika is indeed alive.”

  “Oh.” Asha considered this for a moment. “Then is the ship a spacefaring organism of some kind? We’ve seen one or two of those over the years. They’re quite rare.”

  “Navika’s origins are privileged knowledge and nothing to be concerned about, I assure you. What is of concern right now is the future of our mission.”

  “Well, it looks like we’ll be able to repair the cloaking field in a relatively short amount of time.”

  “What about the timespace components?”

  “Given your ship’s unique qualities, I’m not sure we’ll be able to repair its timespace drive. Perhaps my father—”

  In the distance, they heard heavy footsteps. “Oh, here he is.”

  They looked up and saw a tall, muscular man with the same hint of a reddish hue in his olive skin that Asha had. His hair and beard were jet black and short, and his eyes were a darker brown than Asha’s. He was wearing a graphite jumpsuit covered in zippered pockets, and he was holding two huge platters with at least a dozen small bowls on them, each containing a strange food Zahn had never seen before.

  The man set both platters on the table and eagerly offered his hand to Oonak, who was closest. As he did this, Zahn rushed to put away his photodisc. He didn’t know how this man would feel about him taking photos of the place.

  “The name’s Yantrik. Welcome to Outpost 33, or as I like to call it these days ‘The Outpost for Wayward Travellers’, although it’s had different names throughout the years…”

  Yantrik’s voice was gruff, but there was a warmth behind it that was assuring. He was instantly likable.

  “Pleased to meet you. I am Oonak of the Confederation.” Oonak stood up and bowed slightly.

  “Welcome, Oonak! And who are you, son?” Yantrik flashed Zahn a charming smile which fit his angular face perfectly.

  Zahn winced. He hadn’t been called ‘son’ in years.

  “Please, just call me Zahn. This is quite an impressive place you’ve got here.”

  “You think so? Well, it does the job, although it’s old. Older than you could guess, but what can I say? It’s home. Anyway, help yourself to some of this. I enjoy making food for guests.” Yantrik gestured toward the fresh bowls of strangely colored food on the stone table.

  Oonak took a handful of some orange berries, sat back down, and chewed them thoughtfully for a few moments before he spoke again.

 
“Yantrik, are you familiar with timespace drives?”

  “Are you kidding me? Rebuilt one when I was a kid.”

  “Good. So you can repair my ship’s drive?”

  “Not a chance. At least not without the right materials and plenty of time.”

  “Why?”

  “Do you know how long it’s been since a Confederation ship stopped by? I don’t have the right materials to fix such a complex timespace system. Add to that the fact that I’ve never worked on a drive from a ship as unique as yours before.”

  “Such as?” Zahn said.

  “Well, the timespace field resonates with the hull itself—which appears to be a single crystal, I might add. Anyway, I haven’t seen anything like it in years, so I’d have to reverse-engineer it and study it first. I suspect neither of you would want to stay for the length of time that might take, assuming I could even complete a repair at all.” Yantrik looked out onto the workshop floor and took a deep breath. “Timespace drives are tricky. The question isn’t whether I could, the question is, would you really want to give me a dying candle and risk me inadvertently transforming it into a fireball?”

  “No,” Oonak said. “If my ship is too exotic for your level of experience, then perhaps it is best if you refrain.”

  “A wise choice. Asha tells me you came in through the old ring gate. You’re playing with fire, you know. Partly because they’re older than most of the civilizations around here, but mostly because of the kinds of nasties you can meet while using them. The marauders, who make their way by attacking anyone who comes through, are only one example. Now that I think about it, you’re lucky you haven’t run into the Vandals yet. You’re even more lucky Ashakirta detected your ship when you two came through, otherwise we most certainly would not be having this conversation.”

  Zahn turned to Asha in surprise.

  “You?”

  Asha smiled slightly.

  “Oh, don’t let her fool you. She has talent, and not just in piloting. Anyway, I feel horrible whenever she has to go out instead of me, but she was already in the area when you two came through, so she was able to get to you both faster than I could have.” Yantrik turned to Asha. “Why were you out there this time, anyway?”